Falafel Wrap

I think falafel’s are one of my favorite things to make for dinner. You should know in advance though… there is nothing authentic about the way I make falafels. But, wow, are they delicious!

If you enjoy vegetarian meals that have an ethnic flair, I promise you, you will love this dish as much as I do! I take homemade falafel patties and fry them up in healthy canola oil. I layer them on a homemade, whole wheat-flax seed flatbread. Spring mix/baby spinach is then sprinkled on top, along with some chopped tomatoes. To finish off this beautiful, a homemade garlic-cucumber sauce is spread on top. Ammmmazing! These falafel wraps are a bit of work, but you won’t regret it one bit!

Plus… they are super healthy : D

To begin, get yourself a regular 14 oz can of chickpeas. Drain it,

then pour them into a large bowl and mash them.

Do NOT puree them! You want the texture to be retained.

I tried using a potato masher to do this originally, but found that smooshing them with my hands worked better.

Then get out your food processor and throw in the chopped onion, parsley, and garlic.

Puree until mixture is pretty fine, but not pureed smooth.

There will be a bit of water. That’s OK! It’s supposed to be like that.

For Sauce: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Mash chickpeas in large bowl until thick and pasty. Set aside. In food processor, process onions, parsley, and garlic until fine consistency, but not soupy. Stir into mashed chickpeas.

In a small bowl, combine spices, egg, lemon juice, baking powder, and olive oil. Stir into chickpea mixture. A little at a time, stir in bread crumbs, you may not need them all. You want the consistency to be slightly sticky, so that it will hold when squeezed. Form patties, shaping about 2-3 Tb each in size.

Heat ½” oil in large sauté pan (or cast iron skillet). Fry patties until brown on both sides, 1-2 minutes per side. Remove to paper towel for oil to drain. Serve on flatbread or in pita with lettuce, tomatoes, and sauce.

1. Place water in bowl of stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Pour in yeast and salt, swirl slightly to mix. Let actuate about 10 minutes, or until frothy.

2. Mix in egg and milk, turn machine on low and blend to combine with. Stop machine. Dump in all the whole wheat flour, flax seed, and all but 1/2 cup of all purpose flour. Turn mixer on low, kneading the flour into the dough. Continue to knead, adding more flour as necessary if it begins sticking to the side of the bowl, 6-8 minutes, or until it forms a tight and elastic ball.

3. Covered in an oiled bowl an let rise at room temperature 1 hour or until double. Punch down and divide into 12 balls. Cover with kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let rise 30 minutes at room temperature.

4. When you are ready to make the bread, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Roll out dough balls, about 1/4″-1/8″ thickness, and brush with olive oil on one side. Place dough, oiled side down no skillet. Brush the side turned up with olive oil. When the top side begins to bubble and the bottom has browned, flip over (about 2 to 3 minutes per side). Repeat with remaining flatbreads.